Three Taiwan films will be screened during the 40th Asian American International Film Festival July 26 to Aug. 5 in New York City, the Ministry of Culture announced.
Director Huang Hui-chen’s documentary “Small Talk” has been chosen as the festival’s centerpiece film. The other selected works are drama “The Receptionist” by Jenny Lu and documentary “A Foley Artist” by Wang Wan-jo.
Haisong Li, AAIFF program manager, said that the diverse subjects and styles of the Taiwan films featured in this year’s event underscore the creativity and dynamism of the country’s cinema. The festival is proud to host the New York debuts of these powerful and innovative works, she added.
AAIFF’s 2017 centerpiece “Small Talk” explores the relationship between heterosexual director Huang and her homosexual mother Anu, a Taoist priestess. It was named best documentary in this year’s Teddy Award, a prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for movies on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender topics.
Describing “Small Talk” as a “brutally honest documentary,” the AAIFF said that it fearlessly confronts the harsh realities of Anu’s bitter life, revealing all the disguised emotion and vulnerability in the mother-daughter relationship.
“The Receptionist” by U.K.-based filmmaker Lu follows the lives of the clients and workers of an illegal massage parlor in London as seen by a Taiwan college graduate employed as a receptionist. Inspired by a true story, the movie examines the human cost of the illegal sex trade and the sometimes impossible dilemmas faced by immigrant workers.
Documentary “A Foley Artist” delves into the history of sound production in Taiwan’s film industry through exploring the career of Hu Ding-yi, a prominent figure in the sector for more than four decades. The movie conveys the artistry of the Foley process by examining the traditional methods used to capture sound effects, and highlights the crisis faced by the industry as established practices are replaced by digital technologies.
“Small Talk” will be shown July 29 at Asian Society, while “The Receptionist” and “A Foley Artist” will be presented July 30 and Aug. 3, respectively, at Village East Cinema. The three filmmakers will also hold Q&A’s following the screenings of their works.
AAIFF is the first and longest-running film festival in the U.S. dedicated to promoting and showcasing independent Asian and Asian-American movies. The annual event is organized by New York-based Asian Cinevision, a nonprofit that works to develop, exhibit, promote and preserve Asian and Asian-American films. (CPY-E)
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